(Not Applicable)
(Not Applicable)
This invention relates to automatic routing of incoming calls being held by a network and, more particularly, to systems and methods for routing of incoming telephone calls based on localized evaluation of availability and qualifications of response resources such as individual agents and interactive voice response units.
A variety of automatic call distribution (ACD) systems have been proposed, many with detailed description of the basic technology, system components and related communication network considerations. These prior systems typically focus on the problem of efficiently routing a flow of incoming calls (e.g., xe2x80x9c800xe2x80x9d type calls) to a finite number of individual agents. At any given time, some agents may be actively engaged in responding to a prior call, while others may be immediately available. The basic objective is to route a caller efficiently and effectively to a qualified agent who is free or has a relatively short queue of waiting calls. A wide range of related objectives, such as providing caller history data for use by the agent, tracking call status, gathering agent performance data, are also addressed by such prior systems.
While capable of meeting many such objectives, prior systems may typically require relatively complex equipment, extensive gathering and analysis of agent status data on a centralized basis, and a considerable volume of inter/intra-system data communication to enable both data collection and control signal transmission.
Objectives of the present invention are, therefore, to provide new and improved call routing systems and methods, and such systems and methods providing one or more of the following advantages and capabilities:
localized evaluation of response resource availability and qualifications;
localized control of call assignments within a local agent group;
centralized switching control based on simplified local status evaluation responses;
centralized figure-of-merit selection without complex selection criteria and analysis;
limited intra-system data reporting; and
limited communication and control.
In accordance with the invention, a call routing system, responsive to an incoming call held by a switching facility, includes a poll/selector responsive to an incoming call and associated caller data (i) to send a poll inquiry to a plurality of evaluate/controllers, (ii) to receive poll responses from at least one evaluate/controller indicating a current capability to respond to that call, and (iii) to provide a switching control signal based on selection of a poll response which meets predetermined criteria. A plurality of response resources (e.g., agents) capable of responding to incoming calls are provided. The system also includes a plurality of evaluate/controllers each arranged to be linked to a group of response resources and each responsive to the poll inquiry to provide a poll response indicative of current availability of a response resource to respond to that call. The poll/selector is arranged to couple the switching control signal to control the routing of the held call from the switching facility.
In such a call routing system each response resource may be an agent at a receiving terminal, a queue serving a group of agents, or an interactive voice response (IVR) system, for example. Each evaluate/controller is typically arranged to provide a poll response indicative of current queue wait for a single response resource capable of responding, based on the content of caller data associated with a particular call. For simplicity, the evaluate/controller may be arranged to provide no poll response in the absence of availability of a linked response resource capable of responding to a particular call. Upon receipt of the poll responses, the poll/selector is arranged to provide a switching control signal indicative of a poll response on the basis of a predetermined criteria, which may be representative of shortest queue wait. Desirably, the switching facility will receive the switching control signal before expiration of the time period during which the switching facility is programmed to hold the incoming call prior to routing.
Also in accordance with the invention, a call routing method, using localized response capability evaluation, includes the steps of:
(a) in response to an incoming call held by a switching facility and associated caller data, sending a poll inquiry from a central location to a plurality of response locations;
(b) at each response location, evaluating the current availability of at least one response resource to respond to that call;
(c) from at least one response location, sending to the central location a poll response indicative of current availability of a response resource to respond to that call;
(d) at the central location, selecting a response location whose poll response meets predetermined criteria;
(e) sending a switching control signal from the central location to control the routing of that call from the switching facility; and
(f) at the selected response location, coupling that call to the particular response resource whose current availability to respond was the basis for a poll response from that response location.
For a better understanding of the invention, together with other and further objects, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the accompanying claims.